EASTER GET-TOGETHER FOR ADVENTIST YOUTH

RIDDERKERK, THE NETHERLANDS [ANR] - Almost 700 young people from 
Dutch Adventist communities all over the country spent the 
"Easter-Sabbath" together in a small town just south of Rotterdam. 
More than 200 stayed for an extra day of recreational activities. 

The Easter Youth-Congress has been an Adventist tradition in the 
Netherlands for many decades. This year the young people (mostly age 
16-25) came again to be inspired by a programme, which focused on the 
theme "No Fear, Be Free in Christ". 

Gert Tap, the dean of men at Newbold College, England (the Adventist 
college which serves many countries of Europe), and Jeremy Brooks, a 
young Adventist pastor from Britain, were much-appreciated 
contributors to the Sabbath morning service, which also featured 
drama and mime. 

Eight Adventist pastors played a key role in the evening programme. 
The underlying intention was to show that being a pastor in the 
Adventist church is far from being a "man in black" who is totally 
removed from everyday reality and to encourage the youth to consider 
choosing a career in the church. 

This year's congress was the first for which Jeroen Tuinstra was 
responsible as the national coordinator of Adventist youth work. He 
commented: "We hope to create a bond between the young people who are 
in the church, but also to appeal to their friends. We are happy to 
see that this formula proves to be successful as a growing number of 
the youth feel comfortable enough to take their friends along." 

[Reinder Bruinsma/ANR]